Massachusetts has 147 colleges including 85 four-year colleges, 22 community colleges, and 40 trade schools. By control type, 42 schools are public and 105 schools are private. 484,623 students enrolled in Massachusetts colleges according to IPEDS.
For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 85 schools are active in Massachusetts (15 public and 70 private). 402,446 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 175,289 men and 227,157 women students.
These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 60.83% and an average SAT score of 1,325. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $13,268 and for out-of-state students is $25,271. The average enrollment is about 4,735 students per college. On average, each college offers about 79 programs.
20 Prominent Massachusetts Colleges
The following table lists major colleges in Massachusetts that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Massachusetts residents. It includes 4 public institutions and 16 private institutions.
Massachusetts Major Colleges by Region| Region | Prominent Institutions |
|---|
| Greater Boston / Metro Area | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge), Harvard University (Cambridge), Northeastern University (Boston), Boston University (Boston), Boston College (Chestnut Hill), Bentley University (Waltham), Brandeis University (Waltham), Tufts University (Medford/Somerville) |
|---|
| Central Massachusetts | College of the Holy Cross (Worcester), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester) |
|---|
| Southeastern Massachusetts | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (Dartmouth), Bridgewater State University (Bridgewater) |
|---|
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, located in Amherst, is generally considered the flagship institution in Massachusetts. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 146 graduate programs and 49 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 31,726 including 3,511 online students.
Boston University has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 37,737 students. It offers the largest number of programs of 544.
Of the major colleges in Massachusetts, 4 law schools and 3 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. Harvard University and Boston University have both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.
Notable public institutions
Prominent private institutions